1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of sports hydration. More specifically the present invention relates hydration systems for bicyclists and other sports participants where maintaining a particular physical position or posture while at the same time consuming a liquid (hydrating) is important to both the participant's competitiveness, efficiency or even safety.
Bicyclists commonly carry water bottles attached to the frame of their bicycle in order to hydrate whilst riding. These bottles in nearly all instances consist of a cylindrical reservoir sealed at the top with a cap containing a valve. To drink, the user must invert the bottle in such a way that the fluid inside the reservoir covers the interior of the valve. The degree of inversion depends on the fluid level within the reservoir, and becomes more severe as the fluid level diminishes with consumption. Even when the fluid level is high, but especially when it becomes low, this inversion of the bottle must be accompanied by a turning or lifting of the head in order to facilitate drinking. When bicycling, especially for long distances or in an aerodynamic or racing position, this turning and/or lifting of the head can be very uncomfortable, awkward, and even dangerous as it may cause the bicyclist to lose balance and/or require them to temporarily look away from the direction of travel.
2. The Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,457,691B1 to Kao discloses a water bottle clip apparatus which relocates conventional, prior art type bicycling water bottle retention “cages” or “clips” from the bicycle frame's downtube to the handlebar stem. The Kao invention eliminates the need for the cyclist to reach down to retrieve the water bottle from its cage in order to drink from it. Since the invention relocates the water bottle to the handlebar stem, it then becomes possible to drink from it by leaning forward to access the water bottle directly by mouth. However, the Kao invention makes no provision for the vast majority of prior art bicycling water bottles which do not have an integral straw. Moreover, the Kao invention requires an additional expenditure of the cyclist's energy in providing sufficient amounts of suction to draw the liquid from the water bottle through the straw while under significant aerobic stress.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,860 to Paczonay is a divisional of U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,231 to Paczonay which discloses an apparatus for supplying water or other liquids to a bicyclist that allows him or her to remain in a riding position while drinking. The invention accomplished this by leaving the water bottle fixed to its holder, which is in turn mounted to the bicycle frame downtube in a conventional manner. Liquid is delivered to the bicyclist's mouth through a delivery tube. The water bottle is compressed by way of a compression means so as to force liquid out of the water bottle and into the delivery tube. A check valve in the delivery tube prevents the flowback of liquid from the delivery tube to the water bottle and claims to eliminate the need to fully recompress the water bottle to facilitate each separate act of drinking. The Paczonay invention provides no compatibility with prior art bicycling water bottle retention systems. Moreover, the delivery tube must be secured to both the bicycle and to the rider at all times with the liquid discharging end necessarily held in the bicyclist's mouth or fastened in the immediate vicinity thereof. Lastly, the compression means comprises mechanical assemblies and associated actuating cables which necessarily add further complexity and weight to the bicycle which may be undesirable and/or impermissible in certain competitive events. It is also entirely conceivable that when the quantity liquid in the water bottle diminishes through consumption, the compression manes will fail to expel the remaining water, therefore necessitating that the bicyclist expend energy in providing sufficient amounts of suction to draw the remaining liquid from the water bottle through the straw while under significant aerobic stress. U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,860 to Paczonay claims only the holding and locking means of the invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,858 to Hollander discloses a multi sports water bottle intended for bicycle frame mounting to accommodate a bicyclist's hydration needs and also capable of being belt-worn to accommodate a runner or jogger's hydration needs as well. With regard to the bicycle mounted embodiment of the Hollander invention, it provides a “hands free” solution for bicyclists' hydration with apparent compatibility with existing prior art frame mounted water bottle retention systems. The Hollander invention does require the use of a long water delivery tube extending from the water bottle, along the frame downtube and terminating in an articulated neck attached to the bicycle stem. The invention, however, relies upon the bicyclist's ability to expend energy in suctioning the entirety of the liquid from the water bottle through the straw while under significant aerobic stress.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,251,777 to McMahon discloses a water bottle and bracket apparatus intended for mounting on various equipment including bicycles. A feature of the invention provides a means for rotating the bracket relative to the water bottle so as to allow the water bottle to remain in the upright and vertical position regardless of the orientation of the equipment to which the bracket is mounted. The means by which liquid is withdrawn from the water bottle is neither claimed nor otherwise recited in the invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,231 to Paczonay discloses an apparatus for supplying water or other liquids to a bicyclist that allows him or her to remain in a riding position while drinking as fully discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,860 to Paczonay above.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,339 to Cushing discloses a bicycle frame mounted water bottle apparatus providing a means for pressurizing the interior thereof so as to expel the liquid contents of the water bottle through a length of tubing running along the frame and out a valve located on the bicycle handlebar. While the invention allows the bicyclist to keep both hands on the handlebars, the means for pressurization is inadequate for discharging any more than a mist or fine stream of water from the valve at a given time. Moreover, this will diminish further with repeated discharges without the benefit of any practical way whatsoever to repressurize the waterbottle while riding.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,441,638 to Shimano discloses a bicycle frame mounted water bottle with a streamlined shape so as to minimize eddy air currents and hence drag. The Shimano invention must still be retrieved from its frame mounted retainer by the bicyclist and inverted to discharge liquid. No other improvements over the prior art are provided.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,635 to Porter discloses an apparatus for supplying liquids to a bicyclist while riding. The Porter invention comprises a plurality of reservoirs which contain separate liquids, the reservoirs being connected through respective conduits to a nozzle located on the bicycle handlebar stem. The nozzle incorporates a hand-operated pump mechanism for drawing the fluids from the reservoirs and expelling them from the nozzle. The nozzle can eject either a mist or a stream of liquid. The Porter invention, however requires both the manipulation of the hand-operated pump by the bicyclist while attempting to direct a stream or a mist of liquid as well as the bicyclists' positioning of his head the vicinity of said stream or mist so as to capture the stream in his mouth or have the mist impinge on his face while riding.
U.S. Design Patent Des. 383,875 to Morgan claims an ornamental design for a bicyclists' helmet incorporating an water reservoir. This design is undesirable because it is not directed to an improved water bottle that is compatible with prior art water bottle retention devices. Rather, the ornamental design in the Morgan invention is directed to an improved bicyclists' helmet.
U.S. Design Patent Des. 340,217 to Delage et al claims an ornamental design for a bicycle water bottle having a valve placed at the top of the water bottle, and the water bottle further having a recessed shape. It is evident from the ornamental design of the Delage et al invention that it is incompatible with prior art water bottle retention devices.
U.S. Design Patent Des. 319,421 to Kerezman claims an ornamental design for a bicycle water bottle having an actuating arm and nozzle placed at the top of the water bottle. Because the ornamental design of the Kerezman invention incorporates clamping bosses, it is incompatible with prior art water bottle retention devices.
What is needed, therefore, is a hydration apparatus which provides a minimum of interference with a bicyclist's efficiency, comfort, awareness and safety that is fully compatible with existing carriage and retention systems for prior art bicyclists' hydration apparatuses.